Dental apparatus



Feb 24, 1931. J. M. CRAIGO 1,793,840

DENTAL APPARATUS Filed April 24, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l s gwwmtoz v ltrom Feb. 24, 1931.

J. M. CRAIGO DENTAL APPARATUS Filed April 24. 1929 John 1 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 gwumtot Cmzlgo l atented Feb. 24, 1931 PATENT OFFICE 1 JOHN M. CBAI GO, HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT DENTAL APPARATUS Application filed April 24,

In the art of dentistry, it is and has been the practice in making members adapted to be applied to teeth or the like, (for example, members such as crowns, matrices for inlays,

and metal clasps forattaching bridges,) to swage such members between co-operating dies, one of the 'dies being a-replica of that to which the swaged part isto be attached, and the other diebeing counterpart of the first one. i

An aim of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus whereby swaging operations above referred to, and others of like nature, may be carried out with greater facility and accuracy; the arrangement being such that the operations maybe speedily and effectively accomplished with the assurance that the part to be swaged will be exactly the shape, size and configuration desired.

n A further aim of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus which is charac 'terized by its simplicity in construction and operation.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein is illustrated an apparatus constructed in ac cordance with the present invention Figure 1 is a side view of the apparatus provided with dies for shaping a crown;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the die carrying members with parts broken away, this view being taken substantially on line 2 2 of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the which a die tooth is mounted; a

Fig. 4 is aside view of an arrangement, by means of which a clasp may be shaped about a die tooth and Fig. 5 is a front view of what is shown in Figure 4:. i

1 Referring to the drawings in detail, the ma chine or apparatus in which the parts or eleplate on 1929. Serial No. 357,730.

ments comprising the present invention may be used, is shown as having a base 10 from which arises an overhanging standard 11, the head 12 of which has a vertical bore in which is mounted a plunger 13 for vertical reciproeating movement. The plunger may be moved up and down in any suitable manner,

as for example, by means ofa pinion 14 meshing with rack teeth 15 on the rear side of the plunger. The pinion 14 may be formed on a shaft or pin journaled in the standard at right angles to the length of the plunger. This shaft has a handle 16 for turning the same. The lower end of the plunger has a bore or recess 17 adapted to receive the stem 5 of a tool element. The tool element may be secured to the plunger by a screw 18. The base 10 is provided with a vertical opening or bore 19 alined with the plunger 13 and adapt ed to receive the stem or shank of a lower tool 7 element or member. This member may be secured in the opening 19 by a screw 20. The arrangement so far described is shown for illustrative purposes only, as it is to be understood that the improvements of the present invention may be incorporated or employed in structures or machines variously constructed.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a die carrying element of an improved construction and which will first be described in detail and then its applications explained. This die carrying element, designated generally by the letter A, is here shown as in the form of a generally flat plate having a circular rib 25 on one face. This rib may be formed in any suitable manner but it is here shown as an annular ring secured in place by pins or rivets 26. The plate has centrally of this ring a non-circular, for example, a square, opening 27. The plate has a a notch 28 in each side edge. One end of the plate has, at each side edge, a flange 29 bent up at right angles. The portion of the platebetween these flanges is provided with a key slot 30. The other end of the plate has an elongated notch or slot 31. The element A is adapted to carry a die, such for example, as the male die or die tooth designated generally by the letter D. This die may be formed in the usual and well-known manner. After the die is formed, it may be secured in place by pouring some hot metal 32 into the recess formed by the ring or rib 25, and thensticking the lower end of the die into this metal. The rib serves to confine the hot metal. The hot metal will flow intoand through the opening 27 so that whenvthe,

metal has hardened, the toothis ri eted into place, so to speak, and cannot turn with respect to the plate. I

Referring now more specifically to the application illustrated in Figures 1, '2 and 3, the apparatus is shown as belng set up for stem v36 engaging in the opening 19 in the base and secured therein against rotation by the screw 20. The upper end of the member has a recess 37 foraccommodating the button of metal-which anchors thedie D to the die carrying member. For the purpose of securing the die carrying element upon the top of the support 35, the latter has, ateach side, a spring finger or arm 38. These arms are anchored attheir lower ends, as by means of welding, in a groove 39 in the lower end of the post 35. The upper ends of the arms extendabove the top surface of the member 35 a and are turned inwardly as at 40 so as to overhang the plate A. The upper ends of these arms are adapted to engage more or less snugly Within the notches 28 so as to definitely locate the die 1) with respect to the line of movement of the female die carried by the plunger 13. The arms 38 may be provided, adjacent their free or upper ends, with outwardly exten Ling tabs ll which may be conveniently gripped between the fingers when it isdes'ired to position the die carrying element on, or remove it from, the support. In this embodiment, the female die, designated by the letter, F, is positioned within a recessin the lowerend of a tool member or element 45. This tool element has a shank A6 ada ted to on a e in the bore 17 of the L c u plunger 13 and to be secured thereln against I rotary movement by the screw 18.

The operation of the apparatus so far designated 1s briefly as follows: The die carrying element A may be positioned upon the top of 1 the supporting member 35, either before the die tooth D is secured to that element or after wards, dependmg-upon the particular technique which it is desired to carry out. For

example, in case the apparatus is to be used for properly locating the die tooth upon the plate A, the latter may be secured in place on support 35, and then a series of operations or steps may be performed forproperly alining and paralleling the die D and securing it in place.

In the present illustrative disclosure, I have shown by way of example, the die tooth D as having been mounted on the die carrying element A for the purpose of forming a complementary female die in the member 45.

In this operation, the die carrying element A is located upon the top of the post or support 35 by springing the arms 38iapart, bringing the element A into-position and then releasing thearms so that the upper ends there- "of engagein the notches 28; It will be'observed thatthe element A is thus very convenien'tly and quickly secured n place, and since the arms 38 more or less snugly engage in the notches28, theplate is accurately p0;

sitioned with respect to the female die. hot wax, moldine, or. otherisubstance in which the female die is to be formed, may be placed withinthe recess of the tool element 45, and then the plunger 13 is loweredso as to obtain animpression in this substance. Thev substance isc'then allowed to 0001. There is thus obtained afeniale die E which is complementary. to the male die D. In the eventthese dies are to; be used for swaging a crown, a piece of metal, such as dental gold, is drawn into cup-form and p0- sitioned over the .die D, and then the upper die is brought down so as to bend and swag the cup and cause it to take the exact form of the dies; The diecarrying elementA may be readily removed by merely springing the arms 38 o'utwardly' Referring now to the embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5, the apparatus is illustrated as being set up for shaping a clasp, for instance, so that it will accurately and properly fit about a tooth to which it is to be applied. The arrangement disclosed in this embodiment, is somewhat similar to that illustrated and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 231,114, filed Novem-' her 4, 1927. In this embodiment, there are two elements 35 and The element 35 is in the form of a post and constitutes a supporting member for the die carrying element The member 35 is adapted to be mounted in the same manner as-is the corresponding member 35 of the preceding embodiment, it having a stem 36 adapted to be secured in the opening 19 ofthe base 10. The upper element 4,5 is adapted to be-secured to the lower end of the plunger 13 in the same manner'as is the corresponding element 45 of the preceding embodiment The upper end of the lower tool element 35 andthe lower end of the upper tool element 45 are provided with pockets or chambers in which the dies and 51 are cast. The rear walls of the pockets m which these dies are cast. are made with openings 52 and notches 53 in order to per in lace. The members 35 and 45 are prefera ly of rectangular shape in horizontal section.

The male die D,Which also may be termed a an intermediate die, is positioned between the dies 50 and 51, and has slight vertical movement therebetween. In order to properly position the die carrying element A, the lower support 35 has a headed pin or stud adapted to slidably receive the key slot 30, and the upper die element 15' has a headed pin or stud 56 which Works in the notch 31. The support 35 has a width corresponding to the distance between the flanges 29 so that when the .plate A is positioned against the front face of the support, these flanges straddle the latter and engage against the side faces thereof, and thus the element A is supported against lateral or side movement, not only by the studs 55 and 56, but also by the flanges 29.

The operation of the setup illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 is briefly as follows After the die D has been secured to the die element A, the female die comprising the complementary parts 50 and 51 may be formed by taking impressions of the opposite sides or halves of the male die. The operation of casting the dies 50 and 51 may be carried out in the machine herein illustrated, but it is not necessary to describe that operation. After the female die members have been formed, the tool elements may be separated and a strip of metal such as by the numeral 57, is positioned about the die tooth D, and then the die carrying element is positioned as shown in Figures 4 and 5 on the support 35. The handle 16 is now turned in order to bring the upper die 51 into engagement with the strip of metal 57. As the plate A is mounted for vertical movement, the die tooth D may move down into the die 50. By applying the necessary pressure, the strip of metal 57, which is to constitute the clasp, is caused to take the shape of the co-operated surfaces of the die tooth D, and the female die parts 50 and 51. It will thus be observed that the clasp is very accurately formed. The die members cannot get out of alignment, making the operation a very precise one, while at the same time requiring no great skill in carrying it out.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, a supporting member having a surface adapted to receive a die carrying element, spring arms carried thereby, and a die carrying element removably positioned on said member, and having seats for receiving said arms whereby said element is positioned and held in place.

2; In combination, a supporting member having a surface on which a die carrying element is adapted to be detachably seated, a pair of spring arms having their free ends bent over said surface, and a die carrying element comprising a plate having a notch in each side edge, said arms being engaged in said notches.

3. A die carrying element comprising a plate having a non-circular opening in which a die is adapted to be anchored, a rib about said opening, a notch in each side edge of said plate, a flange at each side edge of said plate, a key slot between said flanges, and a longitudinally extending notch in the other end 

